SATURDAY's Abergavenny Ist XI game beside the sea at Penarth was the archetypal game of four quarters, reports PAUL SUSSEX.
Batting first, mid-table Penarth were reduced to 93-8, but ended up 168 all out. In reply, promotion-chasing Abergavenny were sitting pretty at 85-2, but finished 111 all out.
And as a result, Penarth with nothing to play for in South Wales Premier 2, beat the second-placed visitors, who had everything to play for, for the second time this season.
On a difficult wicket and a slow outfield Pawan Nisansala with four wickets for 32, Lewys Wilkes-McCarthy with 3-31 and Ryan Avery with 1-38 manoeuvred Abergavenny into a great position.
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But a ninth-wicket partnership of 69 saw them lose some impetus, before Dan Skipwith with 1-25 and a run out on the penultimate ball of the 50 overs ended the innings.
The 168-run target seemed relatively easy when Abergavenny made a brisk start, reaching 56-1 in 10 overs, with Andrew Jones the batter out for 12.
Will Glenn went next for 13 (66-2), but things still looked good at 85-2, before the dismissal of Dan Skipwith for five and Avery for 26 (86-4) heralded the start of an almighty collapse, Aber adding just 26 more runs before being dismissed.
Only Jack Ryan of the remaining batters got into double figures with 13 as the wheels came off.
Table top rivals Ynystawe and Cowbridge both won easily to gain 14 points each on Abergavenny, who nevertheless remain second 22 points behind the former and 15 points on Cowbridge with two games left.
But the 2nds secured promotion from South East Wales 6 at home to Penarth 3rds, thanks to 71 from Olly Jones and 51 from Matthew Knight.
The visitors reached 193-8 in their 40 overs, and Abergavenny then made relatively light work of chasing the total required, despite losing seven wickets and being 18-2, reaching 195-7 in the the 28th over.
Ellis Jones scored 29 followed by young Olly Jones who fired 13 fours in a sparkling 71 and put on 56 runs for the seventh wicket with Knight, who fired a very useful unbeaten half century.
It was good to see club captain Sam Clarke back in action, scoring five not out after an injury which has seen him miss the last seven 1st XI games.
They now have an unassailable points tally that the third team cannot overhaul and need just won more maximum points victory to secure the title.
A superb 116 not out from Chai Sanapala also saw the 3rds to a seven-wicket home win over Blackwood 2nds, despite the visitors reaching 237-7 off their 40 overs.
Andy Timpson took 2-35 and Mark Withey 3-39, alongside a wicket each for Sanapala and Dan Du-Plessis.
In reply, Abergavenny made 240-3 in just 33 overs, with a splendid unbeaten maiden century for Sanapala, who has been a wonderful servant of the club for many years, backed by Jaiden Caswell with 65 in his 3rd XI debut, James Morris 22 and Archie Eccles 20 not out.
But after the Lord Mayor's Show, and fresh from making their highest total of the season the previous week, a depleted Abergavenny 4th XI sank to an ignominious defeat, dismissed for just 38 runs, with no batter reaching double figures.
Hosts Friends Union 2nds needed just 5.1 overs to knock off the runs required without losing a wicket.
Fair play, they tried their best and that is better than a concession.
On Saturday, the 1sts play Chepstow at home, the 2nds travel to face Croesyceiliog 2nds, the 3rds face Penarth 4ths away and the 4ths play Ponthir 3rds at home.